Classic works are always considered the best publications to read. They have not only been tested over the years, but also raise complex, vital questions that are relevant at any time. In classical literature we find ourselves, it makes us think about our character, way of thinking, behavior and thinking.
Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” is precisely such an example of classical literature, the brief content of which will be the subject of our article. What kind of work is this? What is its essence and meaning? What is the psychological problem of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History”? Let's find out.
But before we get to know the work better, let's get to know its author.
I. A. Goncharov
The creator of “Ordinary History”, Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov, was born in 1812, into a family of eminent and wealthy merchants. From early childhood, the boy led a carefree, satiated life - the cellars and barns were overflowing with all kinds of provisions and sweets, gold coins were stored in chests, and the owners were served by servants.
At the age of seven, Vanya lost his father. His godfather Tregubov, a kind and enlightened man, a sailor by profession, became his guardian and educator. At first he taught the child himself, then sent him to a school in Moscow.
Eight years of study helped Ivan become more mature and knowledgeable; he became addicted to reading and wanted to write himself. Pushkin and Karamzin become his ideals; it is them that the future writer wants to be equal to, it is they who strives to imitate.
At nineteen, young Ivan Goncharov entered the capital’s university at the Faculty of Literature. Here he meets Belinsky, Aksakov, Lermontov, Turgenev. Such talented, thoughtful friends and comrades leave an indelible mark on the open soul of a young man.
He thinks a lot about the meaning of life and eternal values, literature and art, the life of the people and the morals of the nobility.
After graduating from university, young Ivan Goncharov receives a good government position, but continues to move in the literary circles of St. Petersburg. Here he becomes close friends with the painter Nikolai Maykov and his writer-wife. They meet representatives of the cultural life of the capital - poets, artists, musicians...
Continuing to work in the government field, occupying responsible positions and important positions, Ivan Aleksandrovich begins to write. His first work was “An Ordinary Story,” followed by the still famous “Oblomov” and “Cliff.”
What is remarkable about Goncharov’s first book, “Ordinary History”?
How the work was written
The history of the creation of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” covers a fairly long period of time. In general, he worked very slowly and unhurriedly, thinking through every stroke and every thought in detail, trying to comprehend not only the depth of the characters of his heroes, but also the historical time in which he lived and which he described.
Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” (a brief summary of it will be given below) was conceived by the author back in 1944. For the next two years, he worked on his creation, as always, intently working on every sentence, analyzing every situation and every line of the hero.
The writer revised his work several times. In 1945, after reading the sketches in the Maykov family, he made some changes to the manuscript, listening to the practical advice of the owner of the house. He then corrected the essay immediately before its publication.
Publication history
How was Goncharov’s novel “Ordinary History” published? At first, the author entrusted the manuscript to the literary patron Yazykov, but he considered the work insignificant and trivial and did not want to show it to the famous critic Vissarion Belinsky.
If it were not for Nikolai Nekrasov, who took the manuscript from Yazykov and showed it to Vissarion Grigorievich, the world might not have seen the work published.
The critic liked the novel. He saw in it a modern and relevant trend, as well as subtle psychologism and artistic realism. In 1947, the work was purchased from Goncharov (for two hundred rubles for each sheet) and published in the Sovremennik magazine.
What is the plot of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History”, which so interested the famous writers of that time?
The beginning of the story
A brief summary of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” should begin with a description of the departure of the young, poor landowner Alexander Fedorovich, the only son of the kind-hearted lady Anna Pavlovna. Sasha is a handsome twenty-year-old romantic who has just graduated from university. He is eager to serve the Fatherland, find his own path in life and walk along it hand in hand with a gentle and kind girl. Alexander Fedorovich has many talents, writes poetry, he expects happiness and love to await him in St. Petersburg.
In his native village, a young man leaves a neighbor's young lady, Sonya, who is in love with him, a sincere and pure girl. She gives him a lock of hair as a souvenir and promises to wait.
To say goodbye to Sasha, his friend Alexander Pospelov comes, having specially ridden more than one hundred and fifty kilometers for this purpose. Young people fondly remember their intimate conversations about love, loyalty and service to the fatherland.
Meeting with uncle
In the capital, Aduev comes to visit his paternal uncle, Pyotr Ivanovich, an influential official and wealthy manufacturer. However, at first he does not even want to accept his nephew. However, remembering how kind Anna Pavlovna was to him, Aduev Sr. meets with a young man, but behaves with restraint and coldness.
Sasha doesn’t understand his uncle’s insensitivity; he feels uneasy about the city’s ceremony and indifference. Walking around St. Petersburg, the young man becomes disillusioned with the capital. He misses virgin nature, endless open spaces, the good nature and friendliness of his acquaintances.
Meanwhile, Pyotr Ivanovich is going to teach his nephew wisdom. He forbids him to show his sincere feelings and emotions, orders him to forget Sonyushka and even throws out her gifts. Uncle finds Alexandra a well-paid but tedious job, and encourages the young man to abandon poetry and literature as an unprofitable and stupid occupation.
Two years later
What happens to the main characters of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” after this short period of time?
Alexander became more urban and important. He continues to work in one of the government departments, additionally translates articles and writes poetry or stories from time to time.
It turns out that the young man is in love with a young girl, Nadya, who responds to him with tenderness and reciprocity. However, the uncle condemns their romantic relationship, claiming that love is not needed for marriage.
Love and betrayal
The lover spends entire evenings at his beloved's dacha. Nadenka is raised by one mother and grows up to be a pampered and flighty young lady. She asks Alexander for a year to test her feelings and reunite together in a happy marriage.
And then, when the appointed time approaches, another person appears on the horizon of the young lady - the sophisticated, rich, eminent Count Novinsky. Nadya is carried away by him and pays little attention to Aduev.
He, tormented by jealousy, behaves defiantly both towards his beloved and towards his happy rival. Over time, the girl refuses Alexander.
This was a heavy blow for him. He silently sobs and yearns for his lost happiness. The uncle does not understand the young man’s feelings and, seeing that he wants to challenge the count to a duel, advises him to take revenge in a different, more sophisticated way. Only the aunt, the young wife of Aduev Sr., takes pity on Sasha in his unrequited love.
Twelve months have passed
Alexander still suffers from Nadya's refusal. He loses the meaning in life, loses faith in people, it seems to him that he is surrounded by unprincipled, evil ignoramuses. Finding joy in writing, the young man writes a story all day long, but Pyotr Ivanovich criticizes it and proves to his nephew that no one will publish it. This is true. The magazine refuses to publish the work, and young Aduev becomes disillusioned with his talent and his abilities.
Lizaveta Aleksandrovna, the wife of Aduev Sr., suffers from his coldness and aloofness. It is painful for her that her husband cares about her comfort, while forgetting about her heart and feelings.
Beautiful widow
Yulia Tafaeva, a young woman widowed early, becomes the cause of concern for Pyotr Ivanovich about his companion. He fell in love with a girl and spends all his money on her. Therefore, the uncle asks Alexander to play love with the widow in order to distract her from her partner.
Aduev Jr. doubts his success, but hits on a beautiful widow. Without noticing it, he falls in love with an experienced woman and, as it turns out, mutually.
Young people are very similar. They both want tenderness, violent manifestations of love, all-consuming passion. In their feelings, they seek solitude and want to belong to each other completely.
But such a dependent state, overshadowed by the constant jealousy and uncontrollability of his beloved, bothers Alexander. He loses interest in Yulia, and she insists on marriage.
The uncle helps the young people explain themselves and frees his nephew from the relationship that bothers him.
Main character's depression
A break with Tafaeva does not make the young man happy. He experiences enormous doubts - something has gone wrong in his life. He regrets that he came to St. Petersburg, that he abandoned the picturesque countryside and sweet Sonyushka.
However, such a rethinking of life does not prompt the main character to take action. He sinks lower and lower, works sluggishly, communicates with unsightly company, and does not visit his uncle.
Pyotr Ivanovich tries to stir up his nephew, he appeals to his ambition and reminds him of his career. Then he tries to awaken in him his former romantic impulses, but he became frozen in soul and became disillusioned with everything.
Soon the young man leaves the service and leaves St. Petersburg for his home, completely devastated and tired in soul and body.
But it's not over yet
The mother is very happy to see her son, but she is concerned about his appearance and physical condition.
Over time, Alexander becomes fresher and prettier. Nature and tender memories restore his strength. He lives a quiet life, but continues to dream of St. Petersburg. A year and a half later, the man writes to his aunt that he wants to return to the capital and start a new life. He realizes that he behaved stupidly and wants to improve.
End of the work
Four years have passed since Aduev returned to St. Petersburg for the second time. Much has changed in his uncle's family. Having reached unprecedented heights and wealth, Pyotr Ivanovich finally understands that all this was tinsel, now the main thing for him is the health of his beloved wife, who is slowly fading away from his coldness and isolation. However, Lizaveta Aleksandrovna has already lost joy in life and she is indifferent to her husband’s belated feelings.
Alexander's life turned out completely differently. His mother died, and he finally found himself - he became confident and contented, received a good position and an enviable rank. He is going to marry an unfamiliar girl with a good dowry, whom he does not love and does not even respect. Aduev Sr. is happy for his nephew and hugs him for the first time in his life.
This concludes the summary of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History”.
Problems of the novel
As we see, the writer raised in his work serious psychological questions related to the hidden spiritual impulses and variability of the human heart. An analysis of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” shows us how the influence of society and one’s own worldview can radically change a person, force him to step over himself and his beliefs, forget his own impulses and aspirations.
Having adapted to the system around him, Aduev turned from a kind, dreamy person into a greedy careerist and unprincipled egoist. At the end of the work, he even changes places with his uncle, as he becomes more family-oriented and virtuous, worrying about the health of his beloved wife.
This is evidenced by the characteristics of the heroes of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History”.
Images of the work
If earlier young Sasha appears to readers as attractive externally and internally, with whom you involuntarily sympathize and sympathize, then over time, experiencing disappointments and being under the influence of a rich uncle, he turns into an ordinary self-lover, a careerist and a pretender.
A serious analysis of Goncharov’s “Ordinary History” leads the reader to the idea that it is not others who are to blame for the young man’s troubles, his tragedy and despondency, but himself. He, who abandoned the innocent Sonya, who was in love with him, and her free life in the village, and set off to conquer the capital. He, who was led by his weakness, fixated on unrequited love and his own feelings.
Is it bad to be rich? Is it bad to have a high paying position? Of course not! This is all very good if a person remains himself, if his heart is pure and his conscience is calm. If he does good and thinks about the feelings of others.
Ivan Goncharov
"An Ordinary Story"
A novel in two parts
How to live?
(introductory article)
Writers explore life in two ways - mental, which begins with reflection on the phenomena of life, and artistic, the essence of which is the comprehension of the same phenomena not with the mind (or, rather, not only with the mind), but with all one’s human essence, or, as they say, intuitively.
Intellectual knowledge of life leads the author to a logical presentation of the material he has studied, artistic knowledge leads to the expression of the essence of the same phenomena through a system of artistic images. A fiction writer, as it were, gives a picture of life, but not just a copy of it, but transformed into a new artistic reality, which is why the phenomena that interested the author and illuminated by the bright light of his genius or talent appear before us especially visible, and sometimes visible through and through.
It is assumed that a true writer gives us life only in the form of an artistic depiction of it. But in reality there are not many such “pure” authors, and perhaps there are none at all. More often than not, a writer is both an artist and a thinker.
Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov has long been considered one of the most objective Russian writers, that is, a writer in whose works personal likes or dislikes are not presented as a measure of certain life values. He gives artistic pictures of life objectively, as if “listening to good and evil indifferently,” leaving the reader to judge and pass judgment with his own mind.
It is in the novel “An Ordinary Story” that Goncharov, through the mouth of a magazine employee, expresses this idea in its purest form: “... a writer will only, firstly, write effectively when he is not under the influence of personal passion and passion. He must survey life and people in general with a calm and bright gaze, otherwise he will only express his own I, about which no one cares." And in the article “Better late than never,” Goncharov notes: “...I will first say about myself that I belong to the last category, that is, I am most interested in (as Belinsky noted about me) “my ability to draw.”
And in his first novel, Goncharov painted a picture of Russian life in a small country estate and in St. Petersburg in the 40s of the 19th century. Of course, Goncharov could not give a complete picture of life in both the village and St. Petersburg, just as no author at all can do this, because life is always more diverse than any image of it. Let's see whether the picture depicted turned out to be objective, as the author wanted, or whether some side considerations made this picture subjective.
The dramatic content of the novel is the peculiar duel waged by its two main characters: the young man Alexander Aduev and his uncle Pyotr Ivanovich. The duel is exciting, dynamic, in which success falls to the lot of one side or the other. A fight for the right to live life according to your ideals. But the uncle and nephew have exactly the opposite ideals.
Young Alexander comes to St. Petersburg straight from the warm embrace of his mother, dressed from head to toe in the armor of high and noble spiritual impulses, comes to the capital not out of idle curiosity, but in order to enter into a decisive battle with everything soulless, calculating, vile. “I was attracted by some irresistible desire, a thirst for noble activity,” exclaims this naive idealist. And he challenged not just anyone, but the entire world of evil. Such a little home-grown quixotic! And after all, he has also read and listened to all sorts of noble nonsense.
The subtle irony of Goncharov, with which he describes his young hero at the beginning of the novel - his departure from home, vows of eternal love to Sonechka and his friend Pospelov, his first timid steps in St. Petersburg - it is this very mocking look of Goncharov at his young hero that makes the image Aduev Jr. is dear to our hearts, but already predetermines the outcome of the struggle between his nephew and uncle. The authors do not treat true heroes capable of great feats with irony.
And here is the opposite side: a metropolitan resident, the owner of a glass and porcelain factory, an official on special assignments, a man of sober mind and practical sense, thirty-nine-year-old Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev - the second hero of the novel. Goncharov endows him with humor and even sarcasm, but he himself does not treat this brainchild of his with irony, which makes us assume: here he is, the true hero of the novel, here is the one whom the author invites us to look up to.
These two characters, who interested the Gonchars, were the brightest types of their time. The founder of the first was Vladimir Lensky, the second was Eugene Onegin himself, although in a greatly transformed form. I will note here in parentheses that Onegin’s coldness and experience suffer exactly the same failure as the experience and significance of the life of Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev.
Still vaguely feeling the integrity of his novel, Goncharov writes: “... in the meeting of a soft, dreamer-nephew, spoiled by laziness and lordship, with a practical uncle - there was a hint of a motive that had just begun to play out in the most lively center - in St. Petersburg. This motive is a faint flicker of consciousness of the need for work, real, not routine, but living work in the fight against all-Russian stagnation.”
Goncharov really wants to take this man of “living action” as a model, and not only for himself, but also to offer him to the reader’s attention as a model.
With what brilliance the dialogues between uncle and nephew are written! How calmly, confidently, categorically, the uncle crushes his hot-tempered nephew, but not armed with the terrible weapon of logic and experience! And every critical phrase is deadly, irresistible. Irresistible because he tells the truth. Hard, sometimes even offensive and merciless, but exactly the truth.
Here he makes fun of “material signs... of immaterial relationships” - a ring and a lock of hair, given by Sonechka as a farewell to her beloved Sashenka, who is leaving for the capital. “And you brought this one thousand five hundred miles?.. It would be better if you brought another bag of dried raspberries,” the uncle advises and throws symbols of eternal love, priceless for Alexander, out the window. Alexander's words and actions seem wild and cold. Can he forget his Sonechka? Never!..
Alas, my uncle turned out to be right. Very little time has passed, and Alexander falls in love with Nadenka Lyubetskaya, falls in love with all the ardor of youth, with the passion characteristic of his nature, unconsciously, thoughtlessly!.. Sonechka is completely forgotten. Not only will he never remember her, but he will also forget her name. Love for Nadya will fill Alexander entirely!.. There will be no end to his radiant happiness. What kind of business can there be that my uncle keeps talking about, what kind of work, when he, one might say, disappears day and night outside the city with the Lyubetskys! Oh, this uncle, he only has business on his mind. Insensitive!.. How he dares to say that Nadenka, his Nadenka, this deity, this perfection, can deceive him. “She will deceive! This angel, this sincerity personified…” exclaims young Alexander. “But she’s still a woman, and she’ll probably deceive,” the uncle replies. Oh, these sober, merciless minds and experience. It’s hard!.. But the truth: Nadenka deceived. She fell in love with the count, and Alexander receives his resignation. My whole life immediately turned black. And my uncle insists: I warned you!..
This summer morning in the village of Grachi began unusually: at dawn, all the inhabitants of the house of the poor landowner Anna Pavlovna Adueva were already on their feet. Only the culprit of this fuss, Adueva’s son, Alexander, slept “as a twenty-year-old youth should sleep, in a heroic sleep.” Turmoil reigned in Rooks because Alexander was going to St. Petersburg for service: the knowledge he acquired at the university, according to the young man, must be applied in practice in serving the Fatherland.
The grief of Anna Pavlovna, parting with her only son, is akin to the sadness of the “first minister in the household” of the landowner Agrafena - together with Alexander, his valet Yevsey, Agrafena’s dear friend, goes to St. Petersburg - how many pleasant evenings did this gentle couple spend playing cards! Alexandra’s beloved, Sonechka, also suffers - the first impulses of his sublime soul were dedicated to her. Aduev’s best friend, Pospelov, bursts into Grachi at the last minute to finally hug the one with whom they spent the best hours of university life in conversations about honor and dignity, about serving the Fatherland and the delights of love...
And Alexander himself is sorry to part with his usual way of life. If lofty goals and a sense of purpose had not pushed him on a long journey, he, of course, would have remained in Rooks, with his infinitely loving mother and sister, the old maid Maria Gorbatova, among hospitable and hospitable neighbors, next to his first love. But ambitious dreams drive the young man to the capital, closer to glory.
In St. Petersburg, Alexander immediately goes to his relative, Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev, who at one time, like Alexander, “was sent to St. Petersburg at the age of twenty by his elder brother, Alexander’s father, and lived there continuously for seventeen years.” Not maintaining contact with his widow and son, who remained in Rrach after the death of his brother, Pyotr Ivanovich is greatly surprised and annoyed by the appearance of an enthusiastic young man who expects from his uncle care, attention and, most importantly, the sharing of his heightened sensitivity. From the very first minutes of their acquaintance, Pyotr Ivanovich almost by force has to restrain Alexander from pouring out his feelings and trying to embrace his relative. Along with Alexander, a letter arrives from Anna Pavlovna, from which Pyotr Ivanovich learns that great hopes are placed on him: not only by his almost forgotten daughter-in-law, who hopes that Pyotr Ivanovich will sleep with Alexander in the same room and cover the young man’s mouth from flies. The letter contains many requests from neighbors that Pyotr Ivanovich had forgotten to think about for almost two decades. One of these letters was written by Marya Gorbatova, Anna Pavlovna’s sister, who remembered for the rest of her life the day when the still young Pyotr Ivanovich, walking with her through the village surroundings, climbed knee-deep into the lake and plucked a yellow flower as a souvenir for her...
From the very first meeting, Pyotr Ivanovich, a rather dry and businesslike man, begins raising his enthusiastic nephew: he rents Alexander an apartment in the same building where he lives, advises where and how to eat, and with whom to communicate. Later he finds a very specific thing to do: service and - for the soul! - translations of articles devoted to agricultural problems. Ridiculing, sometimes quite cruelly, Alexander’s predilection for everything “unearthly” and sublime, Pyotr Ivanovich gradually tries to destroy the fictional world in which his romantic nephew lives. Two years pass like this.
After this time, we meet Alexander already somewhat accustomed to the difficulties of St. Petersburg life. And - madly in love with Nadenka Lyubetskaya. During this time, Alexander managed to advance in his career and achieved some success in translations. Now he became a fairly important person in the magazine: “he was involved in the selection, translation, and correction of other people’s articles, and he himself wrote various theoretical views on agriculture.” He continued to write poetry and prose. But falling in love with Nadenka Lyubetskaya seems to close the whole world before Alexander Aduev - now he lives from meeting to meeting, intoxicated by that “sweet bliss with which Pyotr Ivanovich was angry.”
Nadenka is also in love with Alexander, but, perhaps, only with that “little love in anticipation of a big one” that Alexander himself felt for Sophia, whom he had now forgotten. Alexander's happiness is fragile - Count Novinsky, the Lyubetskys' neighbor in the dacha, stands in the way of eternal bliss.
Pyotr Ivanovich is unable to cure Alexander of his raging passions: Aduev Jr. is ready to challenge the count to a duel, to take revenge on an ungrateful girl who is unable to appreciate his high feelings, he sobs and burns with anger... Pyotr Ivanovich’s wife, Lizaveta Aleksandrovna, comes to the aid of the distraught young man ; she comes to Alexander when Pyotr Ivanovich turns out to be powerless, and we do not know exactly how, with what words, with what participation the young woman succeeds in what her smart, sensible husband failed to do. “An hour later he (Alexander) came out thoughtfully, but with a smile, and fell asleep peacefully for the first time after many sleepless nights.”
And another year has passed since that memorable night. From the gloomy despair that Lizaveta Alexandrovna managed to melt, Aduev Jr. turned to despondency and indifference. “He somehow liked to play the role of the sufferer. He was quiet, important, vague, like a man who, in his words, had withstood the blow of fate...” And the blow was not slow to repeat: an unexpected meeting with an old friend Pospelov on Nevsky Prospekt, a meeting that was all the more accidental because Alexander did not even know about the move his soulmate to the capital - brings confusion into the already disturbed heart of Aduev Jr. The friend turns out to be completely different from what he remembers from the years spent at the university: he is strikingly similar to Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev - he does not appreciate the heart wounds experienced by Alexander, talks about his career, about money, warmly welcomes his old friend in his home, but no special signs of attention doesn't show it to him.
It turns out to be almost impossible to cure sensitive Alexander from this blow - and who knows what our hero would have come to this time if his uncle had not applied “extreme measures” to him!.. Discussing with Alexander about the bonds of love and friendship, Pyotr Ivanovich cruelly reproaches Alexander the fact that he closed himself only in his own feelings, not knowing how to appreciate someone who is faithful to him. He does not consider his uncle and aunt his friends; he has not written to his mother for a long time, who lives only in thoughts of her only son. This “medicine” turns out to be effective - Alexander again turns to literary creativity. This time he writes a story and reads it to Pyotr Ivanovich and Lizaveta Alexandrovna. Aduev Sr. invites Alexander to send the story to the magazine to find out the true value of his nephew’s work. Pyotr Ivanovich does this under his own name, believing that this will be a fairer trial and better for the fate of the work. The answer was not slow to appear - it puts the finishing touches on the hopes of the ambitious Aduev Jr....
And just at this time, Pyotr Ivanovich needed the service of his nephew: his companion at the plant, Surkov, unexpectedly falls in love with the young widow of Pyotr Ivanovich’s former friend, Yulia Pavlovna Tafaeva, and completely abandons his affairs. Valuing business above all else, Pyotr Ivanovich asks Alexander to “make Tafaeva fall in love with himself,” pushing Surkov out of her home and heart. As a reward, Pyotr Ivanovich offers Alexander two vases that Aduev Jr. liked so much.
The matter, however, takes an unexpected turn: Alexander falls in love with a young widow and evokes a reciprocal feeling in her. Moreover, the feeling is so strong, so romantic and sublime that the “culprit” himself is not able to withstand the gusts of passion and jealousy that Tafaeva unleashes on him. Brought up on romance novels, married too early to a rich and unloved man, Yulia Pavlovna, having met Alexander, seems to throw herself into a whirlpool: everything she read and dreamed about now falls on her chosen one. And Alexander does not pass the test...
After Pyotr Ivanovich managed to bring Tafaeva to her senses with arguments unknown to us, another three months passed, during which Alexander’s life after the shock he experienced is unknown to us. We meet him again when he, disappointed in everything he lived before, “plays checkers with some eccentrics or fishes.” His apathy is deep and inescapable; nothing, it seems, can bring Aduev Jr. out of his dull indifference. Alexander no longer believes in either love or friendship. He begins to go to Kostikov, about whom Za-ezzhalov, a neighbor in Grachi, once wrote in a letter to Pyotr Ivanovich, wanting to introduce Aduev Sr. to his old friend. This man turned out to be just the right thing for Alexander: he “could not awaken emotional disturbances” in the young man.
And one day on the shore where they were fishing, unexpected spectators appeared - an old man and a pretty young girl. They appeared more and more often. Lisa (that was the girl’s name) began to try to captivate the yearning Alexander with various feminine tricks. The girl partially succeeds, but her offended father comes to the gazebo for a date instead. After an explanation with him, Alexander has no choice but to change the place of fishing. However, he doesn’t remember Lisa for long...
Still wanting to awaken Alexander from the sleep of his soul, the aunt asks him one day to accompany her to a concert: “some artist, a European celebrity, has arrived.” The shock experienced by Alexander from the meeting with beautiful music strengthens the decision that had matured even earlier to give up everything and return to his mother, in Grachi. Alexander Fedorovich Aduev leaves the capital along the same road along which he entered St. Petersburg several years ago, intending to conquer it with his talents and high appointment...
And in the village, life seemed to have stopped running: the same hospitable neighbors, only older, the same endlessly loving mother, Anna Pavlovna; Sophia just got married without waiting for her Sashenka, and her aunt, Marya Gorbatova, still remembers the yellow flower. Shocked by the changes that have happened to her son, Anna Pavlovna spends a long time asking Yevsey how Alexander lived in St. Petersburg, and comes to the conclusion that life itself in the capital is so unhealthy that it has aged her son and dulled his feelings. Days pass after days, Anna Pavlovna still hopes that Alexander’s hair will grow back and his eyes will sparkle, and he thinks about how to return to St. Petersburg, where so much has been experienced and irretrievably lost.
The death of his mother relieves Alexander from the pangs of conscience, which do not allow him to admit to Anna Pavlovna that he was again planning to escape from the village, and, having written to Pyotr Ivanovich, Alexander Aduev again goes to St. Petersburg...
Four years pass after Alexander's return to the capital. Many changes happened to the main characters of the novel. Lizaveta Alexandrovna was tired of fighting her husband’s coldness and turned into a calm, sensible woman, devoid of any aspirations or desires. Pyotr Ivanovich, upset by the change in his wife’s character and suspecting she has a dangerous illness, is ready to give up his career as a court councilor and resign in order to take Lizaveta Alexandrovna away from St. Petersburg at least for a while. But Alexander Fedorovich reached the heights that his uncle once dreamed of for him: “collegiate adviser, good government salary, through outside labor” earns considerable money and is also preparing to get married, taking three hundred thousand and five hundred souls for his bride...
At this point we part with the heroes of the novel. What, in essence, is an ordinary story!..
The novel was conceived by the author in 1844. The work was first read in the salon of the Maykov family. Goncharov made some adjustments to his novel precisely on the advice of Valerian Maykov. Then the manuscript ended up with M. Yazykov, who was supposed to hand it over to Belinsky at the request of the author himself. However, Yazykov was in no hurry to fulfill the request, as he considered the novel too banal. The manuscript was handed to Belinsky by Nekrasov, who took it from Yazykov. Belinsky planned to publish “Ordinary History” in the almanac “Leviathan”.
However, these plans were never destined to come true. Goncharov received a lucrative offer: he could earn 200 rubles for each page of the manuscript. But Panaev and Nekrasov offered the writer the same amount, and Goncharov sold them his work. It was decided to publish the novel in Sovremennik. Publication took place in 1847. A year later, the novel was published as a separate edition.
Alexander Aduev, the son of a poor landowner, is going to leave his native estate. The young landowner received a decent university education, which he now wants to use in the service of his fatherland. Alexander leaves his first love Sonechka and his inconsolable mother Anna Pavlovna on the estate, who does not want to part with her only son. Aduev himself also does not want to leave his usual way of life. However, the high goals he has set for himself force him to leave his parents' home.
Once in the capital, Alexander goes to his uncle. Pyotr Ivanovich had lived in St. Petersburg for many years. After his brother's death, he stopped communicating with his widow and his nephew. Alexander does not seem to notice that his uncle is not too happy to see him. The young man expects care and protection from a close relative. Pyotr Ivanovich receives a letter from the mother of his nephew, who asks him to help his son get a good job. The uncle has no choice, and he takes on the active upbringing of his nephew: he rents an apartment for him, gives him numerous pieces of advice, and finds him a place. Pyotr Ivanovich believes that Alexander is too romantic and out of touch with reality. It is necessary to destroy the fictional world in which the young man lives.
2 years have passed. During this time, Alexander was able to achieve success in his service. The uncle is happy with his nephew. The only thing that upsets Pyotr Ivanovich is the young man’s love for Nadenka Lyubetskaya. According to the stern uncle, “sweet bliss” can prevent his nephew from further promotion. Nadya also likes Alexander. However, the girl’s feelings are not as deep as the feelings of her lover. Nadenka is much more interested in Count Novinsky. Aduev Jr. dreams of a duel with his opponent. Pyotr Ivanovich is trying with all his might to dissuade his nephew from his fatal mistake. Uncle never found the necessary words of consolation. Lizaveta Alexandrovna, the wife of Pyotr Ivanovich, had to intervene. Only the aunt managed to calm the young man down and dissuade him from the duel.
Another year has passed. Alexander has already forgotten Nadenka. However, not a trace of the former romantic young man remained in him. Aduev Jr. is bored and sad all the time. The uncle and aunt try various ways to distract their nephew, but nothing helps. The young man himself tries to lose himself in love, but he fails. Alexander is increasingly thinking about returning home. In the end, the young man leaves the capital. Life in the village has not changed, only Sonya, Aduev’s first love, got married without waiting for her lover. Anna Pavlovna is glad that her son returned from St. Petersburg, and believes that life in the capital undermines her health.
Fascinating city
But Alexander finds no peace even in his father’s house. Having barely returned, he is already dreaming of moving to St. Petersburg. After the capital's salons, the quiet life in the countryside seems insufficiently dynamic and vibrant. However, the young man does not dare to leave because he does not want to upset his mother. The death of Anna Pavlovna relieves Aduev Jr. of remorse. He returns to the capital.
Another 4 years have passed. The characters in the novel have changed a lot. Aunt Lizaveta became indifferent and indifferent. Pyotr Ivanovich also becomes different. From the former cold and calculating businessman, he turns into a loving family man. Pyotr Ivanovich suspects his wife has serious health problems and wants to resign in order to take his wife away from the capital. Alexander was able to get rid of his youthful illusions. Aduev Jr. makes good money, has achieved a high position and is going to marry a rich heiress.
Alexander Aduev
Romanticism and egocentrism are the main character traits of a young man. Alexander is confident in his uniqueness and dreams of conquering the capital. Aduev Jr. dreams of becoming famous in the poetic and writing fields and finding true love. Life in the village, according to the young man, is not for such a talented and exalted personality like him.
Alexander's dreams collapse one after another. Very soon he realizes that there are enough mediocre poets and writers in the capital without him. Aduev will not tell the public anything new. True love also disappointed the young romantic. Nadenka Lyubetskaya easily abandons Alexander in order to prefer a more advantageous game to him. The young man comes to the conclusion that the world that he lived in his imagination does not really exist. Thus began the degeneration of the romantic into an ordinary cynic and businessman, like Alexander’s uncle.
Aduev Jr. realized in time that he was unable to remake reality, force it to be different. However, he can succeed by reconsidering his views and accepting the rules of the game.
Peter Aduev
At the beginning of the novel, Pyotr Ivanovich acts as the antipode of his nephew. The author characterizes this character as a person who is “icy to the point of bitterness.” Thanks to his resourcefulness and composure, Alexander’s uncle was able to get a good job. Pyotr Ivanovich hates people who are unadapted to life, sentimental and sensitive. It is these character traits that he has to fight in his nephew.
Aduev Sr. believes that only those who know how to control their feelings have the right to be called a person. That is why Pyotr Ivanovich despises Alexander’s tendency to “delight.” All the predictions of the experienced uncle came true. His nephew was unable to become famous either as a poet or as a writer, and his affair with Nadenka ended in betrayal.
The uncle and nephew embody in the novel two sides of the author's contemporary Russia. The country is divided into dreamers, who bring no practical benefit to anyone with their actions, and businessmen, whose activities benefit only themselves. Alexander represents a “superfluous person”, unsuitable for the real business and causing a sense of irony even among close relatives. The “superfluous” will not benefit his fatherland, because, in fact, he himself does not know what he wants. Pyotr Ivanovich is overly practical. According to the author, his callousness is as destructive for others as the dreaminess of his nephew.
Some critics draw a parallel between “Ordinary History” and “Oblomov”, where the antipodes are Oblomov and his friend Stolz. The first, being a kind, sincere person, is too passive. The second, like Pyotr Aduev, is practical to the point of callousness. The title of the novel, “An Ordinary Story,” indicates that all the events described in the book are taken from life. Goncharov himself seems to admit that the story he tells is not unique. The transformation of romantics into cynics occurs every day. The “superfluous person” has only 2 options: leave this life, like Oblomov, or transform into a soulless machine, like Alexander Aduev.
At the very beginning of the story, twenty-year-old Alexander Aduev appears before the eyes of the readers, who grew up in the provinces under the wing of his endlessly loving mother and has just graduated from the local university. The young man still has no everyday experience and no real ideas about life; he imagines his own destiny and relationships between people in an extremely idealized way, based on the books that he happened to read. The mother recklessly adores her only son, instilling in him that there simply cannot be a more beautiful, smarter, more worthy person than him, that everything will turn out great for him when he arrives in St. Petersburg for service, as Alexander plans.
The young man himself also does not doubt his own abilities at all; he believes in his talents and believes that he will be able to quickly make an enviable career in the capital. In addition, young Aduev is also interested in literary creativity, and he has serious hopes for success as a writer. Alexander is already infatuated with the neighbor's young lady Sophia and believes that he will never be able to forget her, that you can love only once in your life, although his mother hints to him that this girl can be neglected if he meets a more suitable match in St. Petersburg.
When Alexander finally arrives in the capital, he first goes to see his uncle, Pyotr Ivanovich Aduev, who has lived in St. Petersburg for two decades and has actually managed to achieve a solid promotion. Pyotr Ivanovich absolutely does not expect his nephew to appear, he is not at all pleased with the letter from Alexander’s mother, who asks to look after her son, but at the same time he believes that leaving an inexperienced young man completely alone in the capital will also be dishonest on his part, so he does not refuse accept a young man who has just arrived in St. Petersburg.
Naive Alexander is ready to love his uncle with all his heart, seeing him as a dear, close person, but Pyotr Ivanovich greets him very restrainedly and immediately advises young Aduev to forget about all his “provincial habits” if he wants to achieve something in the capital. Alexander is simply dumbfounded by his coldness; the young man could not imagine anything like this before, but he still asks his uncle to help him find his first place to serve in St. Petersburg.
The job that Pyotr Ivanovich arranges for Alexander does not please the ardent romantic at all, since it consists only of routine copying of papers, which is repeated day after day. But the young man tries to believe that over time the situation will change and he will really be able to achieve more, although his uncle openly laughs at his dreams and ambitions. The elder Aduev directly says that with such an attitude to life divorced from reality, Alexander simply has nothing to do in the capital; it would be best to return to the village.
Soon, among his acquaintances, the young man meets a pretty girl, Nadenka Lyubetskaya, falls madly in love with her, and the young lady reciprocates his feelings. When Alexander, who is literally overwhelmed with joyful emotions, tells his uncle about his love, Pyotr Ivanovich mockingly remarks that Nadenka will certainly deceive the young man and he should not trust the girl so recklessly. Alexander categorically refuses to believe in these words; it seems to him that his uncle is a real monster who has never loved anyone in his life and therefore is simply unable to understand his true feelings.
Over the course of a year, Alexander feels infinitely happy with Nadenka, he is already going to turn to her mother with an official marriage proposal, but it was at this time that a certain Count Novinsky, an experienced socialite, who does not have much difficulty making an impression, begins to visit the Lyubetskys’ house to Nadenka. Alexander sees with despair how the girl grows cold towards him day by day, and finally he directly asks if anyone has replaced him in her heart. Nadenka openly admits that she no longer loves Aduev, and Alexandra is overcome by the deepest despair.
The young man hurries to tell his uncle about his tragedy, but Pyotr Ivanovich takes the terrible news for Alexander absolutely calmly, noting that this is exactly what he had warned the young man about for a long time. The elder Aduev is trying to calmly explain to his nephew that he behaved completely incorrectly, that he should have rationally and calmly fought with the count for Nadenka’s affection, that neither the girl, nor especially her new lover owes him anything, that a person is free in his feelings. Alexander is not at all convinced by his uncle’s words, the young man experiences disappointment not only in love, but also in people in general, for quite a long time after this story he tries not to appear in society at all, but then he nevertheless comes to his senses a little.
The younger Aduev also shows his uncle the poems and stories he has written, Pyotr Ivanovich believes that Alexander has no literary talent and he is wasting his time and ruining the paper; it would be much better for him to translate technical articles. In order to completely disabuse the young man of his literary abilities, the elder Aduev gives one of his stories to his friend the editor, passing off himself as its author. The review of Alexander’s work turns out to be sharply negative; the editor directly says that the story was probably written by a young man who was disillusioned with life, but no one would publish it. The younger Aduev, in despair, burns all his creations and announces to his uncle that he will not work for money in the literary field; in this regard, fate will not be able to break him.
After some time, Alexander meets the young widow Yulia Tafaeva, who is in many ways similar to him in her romantic and exalted, although too sad, perception of life. Aduev and this woman fall in love with each other, Alexander thinks that he has finally found what he has always dreamed of, that life has given him real happiness. However, the uncle notices that this time, most likely, the young man will cheat on his chosen one himself. Alexander still does not want to listen to Pyotr Ivanovich’s recommendations, but soon he feels that Julia is beginning to burden him, that he is already frankly bored with her and his recent passion has completely disappeared. He himself does not understand what is happening to him, because the woman loves him more and more, but Alexander is becoming increasingly cold and no longer wants not only to get married, but also to spend time with Tafaeva at all.
When the elder Aduev learns about his nephew’s new problem, he agrees to talk with Yulia and explain to her that Alexander is an extremely fickle creature, incapable of long-term and serious feelings, that he is simply not worthy of his beloved. After this, Yulia really leaves Aduev alone, and Alexander himself becomes completely depressed for a while, lying on the couch at home all day long. Petersburg completely disappointed him both in terms of career and in terms of love, and his uncle sharply recommends that he return to his native village, to his mother. Alexander is forced to accept this advice; he really does not understand what else he should do in the capital.
Upon Aduev’s arrival at his estate, his mother notices with horror how her son has changed and lost weight, how sad and gloomy he is now. The woman tries to cheer up Alexander, promising to find him a worthy bride, a kind and sweet girl from a good family, but her son tells her that he is not going to love anyone else. However, staying in the village really does Alexander good; he begins to feel better and soon decides to leave for St. Petersburg again. The young man fulfills his intention immediately after the death of his mother, and in the epilogue of the novel he again talks with his uncle.
Now Alexander Aduev has become completely different. He is confidently making a career, forgetting about his previous romantic dreams; in the near future he is also going to very profitably marry the daughter of a man who will be useful to him in many ways. Pyotr Ivanovich is sincerely happy about this transformation of his nephew, saying that he no longer hoped that he would come to his senses. Alexander assures his uncle that he is completely done with youthful nonsense, and reminds the elder Aduev that he, too, was in love with his aunt in his youth and also behaved sincerely and naively at that time. Pyotr Ivanovich recognizes this fact and tells Alexander that he is now leaving with his wife for Italy, leaving all his affairs, since her state of health gives rise to serious concerns.
Thus, throughout the novel, what happens to the main character is what happens to many people in any era. Alexander refuses the best human feelings, concluding for himself that they only interfere with life, and turns into a typical careerist and cynic, deciding to follow the same path as the vast majority of the people around him.
Watch the film "An Ordinary Story".
